Only one-quarter of Americans support letting states draw districts to help minority candidates get elected

The latest Economist / YouGov Poll finds little support for allowing states to draw congressional districts with the intention of facilitating the election of minority candidates. The U.S. Supreme Court recently limited that practice in a new decision about the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Our polling finds 41% of Americans say most white Americans are willing to vote for Black candidates, while only 29% disagree. Democrats are less likely to agree (30% say yes and 45% say no) than are Independents (39% vs. 26%) or Republicans (54% vs. 17%). A majority of Black Americans say most white voters are not willing to vote for Black candidates (19% vs. 55%), while white Americans are more likely to say most white voters are willing to do so (47% vs. 22%). Residents of the South show little difference from other regions on this question.

Only 25% of Americans say states should be allowed to draw congressional districts in a way that helps minority candidates get elected, while 43% say they shouldn't. Democrats are more likely than not to say states should be allowed to do this (50% say yes and 24% say no), but Independents are more likely to say no (19% vs. 39%) and Republicans overwhelmingly say no (9% vs. 66%). Black Americans are more likely to support this practice (47% vs. 28%) than are white Americans (20% vs. 47%).

A majority of Americans who say most white voters are willing to cast ballots for Black candidates oppose allowing states to draw minority-friendly districts (18% support and 59% oppose), while those who disagree about white voters are more likely to support than oppose allowing these districts (42% vs. 35%).

Another recent YouGov survey asked a similar question but with different wording: whether it "should be legal or illegal to draw electoral districts in a way that makes it easier for members of a particular racial group to elect their preferred candidates." There is even less support for this way of drawing districts: 16% of Americans say this should be legal and 54% say it should be illegal.

Image: Getty (Andrew Harnik / Staff)

What do you really think about President Trump, American politics in general, and everything else? Share your reality, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.